16 men gathered in a middle school parking lot at 5:30. I quickly took heat for my Jeep compared to Header’s. Mine is perfectly outfitted for the rugged roads of South Charlotte. Header is clearly compensating for something. What does that say about Tiger Rag’s Great Pumpkin? You decide. I delivered an adequate disclaimer, including a warning that we were going into Raintree where the pre-dawn drivers accelerate when they sense weakness, then off we went.
Yog out to 51, turn right to continue to the field at the entrance to Raintree. We fell right into the HOA’s trap for trespassing on that field when we slogged through a giant mud pit between the sidewalk and the field. I heard the usual groaning from the aging Area 51 crowd who doesn’t like to get dirty anymore. Quick warmup then over to the road that runs behind the Walmart (I’ll be using the names that I have in my head for the Raintree roads, not the real names that I’d have to look up).
Run down to the end (which Skywalker helpfully pointed out is not a cul-de-sac), stopping at each drive on the right for 10 HR merkins. Quick LBC recovery, healthy discussion of farting by Puddin’ Pop and Spackler, then run back the other way with 10 Jump Squats at each road.
Partner up in the strange Raintree shopping center (has anyone ever done business there? I don’t mean the kind of business that Joker does in Raintree, I mean has anyone spent money?). Partner one runs the staircase loop while partner 2 does an exercise. Flapjack. 4 laps each.
Mosey down to the road with the really big hill that has a golf course tee box on the left at the top of the hill. AYG down the hill to the bump, 20 monkey humpers, AYG back up. Freddie Mercury recovery.
Yog over to the hill on the way back to the school where we often do triple nickel. No time for that, partner 1 runs up while partner 2 does Peter Parker. Flapjack. The jog over to the stop sign where you turn right to go back to the school. Parker Peter. Run the terrible Fast Twitch Finish back to the starting place. Ugh. I saw a few guys who regretted their brisk starting pace and had to walk it out on Strawberry. There’s no shame in that. Finished with 5 solid minutes of Mary #MakeMaryGreatAgain.
Done. One of the worst count-offs I’ve ever seen. Also, no donuts.
Happy Birthday to Flutie Flakes who found no takers to do his 45 birthday burpees with him.
Donut Run – 6 miles of a painful hilly loop followed by competitive eating, hairy guys in flesh covered towels, and sweaty butt stains in the freshly cleaned Donut Shack lobby. I’m pretty sure the donuts cancel out the benefits of the run, and the other things are just a bonus negative. If you were to simply add a space to the “workout” name, you could call it “Do Not Run”. Following that advice, you’d probably reap similar benefits without the emotional scarring of seeing SemiNude Gloss traipsing around the parking lot in his wife’s bath towel.
Sounds bitter eh? Well, maybe I am. You see, last week was magical and I thought that Semi and I had a little something going. Nothing weird, you know, but a little #ISI and #firewood to keep us both honest. We actually finished the last 50 yards (emotionally) holding hands like Thelma and Louise. I can still smell the Axe spray and Two Buck Chuck pore seepage. I suppose sequels are usually letdowns, but this one was #jarjarbinks bad. I rolled in just on time at 5:13 (double deuce) all ready to go just to see Semi and his new thang Retread taking off and trying not to make eye contact. Seriously . . . five freaking thirteen? I thought about just going inside to suck the jelly out of a dozen or so, but they were not open yet. To cap it off, WingMan failed to show for the 2nd straight week after Slacking about it and Bushwood just straight up fartsacked.
Anyways . . . the run was about the same as always except I threw up in my mouth a little more than normal at the stretch between the Arboretum and Rea. That’s when TR came alongside to taunt encourage me and asked me if there were any other running workouts in A51 that he could post to. I was also passed by, let’s see, almost everyone else at some point during the run. Fantastic.
What else happened? This part is generally where Bushwood (who was not there because he was fartsacking) usually summarizes the donut shop conversations, flavored with his witty observations and confident-enough-to-wear-women’s-clothing-wearing panache. Since I left early, I’ll have to take my best guess.
Agony is considering replacing the his Summer Sermon Series with reruns of Reading Rainbow (in 4K). He ironically ran the whole route wearing a pair of Geordi La Forge glasses. Rumors are that he has never washed his camo pants and that they have actually posted a faster 10K time on their own than when he was wearing them.
Kirk looks like John Arbuckle. He was searching for Odie along the route, but came up empty handed. He ended up chasing Semi Gloss down with a two fistfuls of velcro and rode the last 1/3 of a mile back secretly attached to his back hair.
Hairball got his hairy dolphin tattoo replaced with one of Calvin peeing on something. He was too fast to for me to make it out completely.
Bunker looked bored during this A51 run without Honeybee and Haggis to chase after. I saw him reading the Simillarion by headlamp about halfway through, trying to understand one of Tolkien’s backblasts.
That’s about all for today.
toodles,
Horsehead
Construction greeted YHC in the M’s car when pulling into Stonecrest AMC. Luckily, as the corner was turned, Old Glory waved boldy and acted as a beacon as to where to park the kid hauler. Body shop assures YHC that the 4Runner will be ready today after a week at the shop and the 2nd bumper cover fitting. Men came running in from all directions it seemed. Group went from about 12 to 27 in 5 minutes. Nard Dog ran in with pre-run crew then bolted. Make it 26. Thorough disclaimer concisely given to the PAX. Off we go.
Thang
Half mile mosey out of the lot, across Elm, and down Elmstone to the park just past the creek. Turn into the parking lot. Circle up.
COP
SSH x 10 IC
IW x 10 IC
Mountain Climber x 10 IC-hold plank
Merkin x 10 IC-hold plank
Alternating Shoulder Taps x 10 IC
Plank Jack x 10-drop to low plank
Low Plank Jack x 10
Recover and continue mosey into the depths of the hood. Mosey past Big Rock Park, where my kids climbed and got dirty in the creek on Saturday. Good place to kill a few hours close to home. Back to the mosey. Brief stop at an intersection to regroup. Attempted to call Smurf Jacks to wait, traffic interrupted and we all got out of the way. Continue mosey all the way to Back Ridge Rd, appropriately named due to location. Way back there. YHC underestimated the total distance and proceeded to apologize to the men for the long run. All handled it well. Continue mosey to the cul-de-sac at the end. 15 driveways on the right side of the road.
Merkin Ladder
Start at driveway 1: 1 merkin. Driveway 2: 2 merkin. Continue to 15 at the corner. 120 merkins.
Plank series to wait on six.
Mosey back toward the park. Stop at one of the corners to get 26 together. SSH OYO to wait. Continue up Elmstone to the park where we did COP. Circle up.
Mary
Hold 6 inches. YHC learned that our crew included a few newer guys to F3. Took a moment to share the F3 mission. Plant, grow, and serve (Thanks Goonie) small workout groups for the invigoration of male community leadership. YHC left out the serve part. Goonie helped out.
Flutter x 10/Hold/Dolly x10/Hold/Windshield Washer x 10/Hold/Heels to Heaven. Recover.
Mosey out of the lot. Continue to the base of Murderhorn. AYG to Rosebriar.
AYG around Rosebriar with 20 merkin stop at each island.
Plank series at finish. Right arm forward/RLH/Swap/Elbows/RAH/RLH/Swap/Low plank/Alternating Leg Raises IC x 10.
Mosey back to the launch. 2 minutes of burpees to close. Several refuseniks here.
COT
Moleskin
Nasty head cold kept YHC out of work Monday and limited duty Tuesday. Strongly considered calling in a substi-Q. Decided to make a plan and see what happened. That is the beauty of working out with participant leaders. Knew that if I got #smoked all I had to do was say the word and another man would take over. Got to the business of planning and Google Earth took me way back to Back Ridge road. Estimated the distance to be about a mile. It was actually about 1.4.
House at the Back Ridge cul-de-sac flipped on porch light, turned it off, flipped it on again. Definitely wanted us to know something. Perhaps 26 men running in was alarming. Didn’t waste much time out front of the porch flickers. 120 merkins is tough. Thing is, the plan called for a return to the cul-de-sac with a second round with 4 burpees at each driveway for a total of 60. Audible called at this point. We were deep into the hood with 26 and at least one neighbor was sketched out. Swapped burpees out for some Mary. Garmin had us at 2.85. Pop Tart thought it was more like 4. Windshield Wipers are off the list, by the way.
Doc McStuffins and his beard were strong and fast this morning. Several had some left in the tank to crush the Murderhorn. Pop Tart, Goonie, Tuck, Madame T, Udder, Cheddar, Squid among them. Cable Guy, Squid, Fredo, Champagne looking tough throughout. This group pushed hard to get these miles and exercises. Strong work today men.
Family Ties and YHC share the same last name and place of birth, but no direct family relation. He moved away when he was about 3. Suspect his F3 name may reflect these facts. Solid work out there and good to meet you. Again. Keep on crushing it.
T-claps to Chopper (respect) and Fredo (respect) for completing the 30-day F3 free trial. Your first “bill” will arrive soon when you are encouraged to complete your first Q (VQ). Keep on crushing it men.
T-claps to Paper Jam for the takeout prayer. Thanks to Commish and Cheddar for the invite to lead.
Announcements
New 3F starts next week after The Maul. Tootie on Q.
Savage Race 05/13. Register HERE
30-day Pull-Up/Merkin Challenge. Tuck on Q
Cheddar and Champagne need runners for Smoky Mtn Relay and BRR
Richard Sheltra 5K/10K. Dumpster Fire on Q.
Let me Run needs coaches. More info, hit Champagne at bdbriggs@gmail.com
14 Fast Twitchers ran the (mostly flat) loop this week…
The Thang
Warmup run: Long way to Rising Meadow (via 51 and Raintree)
Triple nickel up hill to lightpost: Romanian Deadlifts and Squats
Mosey over to the Rounding Run loop: 4 rounds:
Mary interspersed throughout
Mosey back to Strawberry down to 2nd speedbump; Mary; AYG Sprint back to school
Mileage: 6.0
COT
Moleskine:
Announcements: None
Warm-Up
Run a lap around the school
Station drills #1
P1 & P2 Gloves & pads
P3 & P4 Gloves & pads
P5 Heavy bag
P6 Merkin & pull-ups
P7 Jump rope
2 min round, 35 second recovery
Cycle through the stations x 2
Station drills #2
P1 & P2 Sparring in the ring
P3 & P4 Gloves & pads
P5 & P6 Gloves & pads
P7 Timer/referee
Mary
Regular crunch x 10
Toe tap crunch x 10
LBC x 10
Pistol cruch R & L x 10
Side crunch R & L 10
Chippy cross x 10
Tale of the Tape
I have three Qs this week, so it with the perfect opportunity to bring back Fight Club to Fat Camp. Fight Club uses boxing gear and training for HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). Believe me, after several rounds of throwing punches, you will have a new level of respect for boxers. It’s not easy! It’s a great way build strength and cardio without running.
Loogie “Shoulder Boulder” – What surgery? Dude was pummeling the mitts. Maybe the doctors replaced that shoulder with bionic parts. #cyborg
Kirby “Mickey” – Rocky’s trainer would be proud. Kirby knows his stuff and shares his knowledge to help teach the newbies and keep the vets focused.
Chipotle “The Champ” – The hardest punch, bar none.
Escobar “The Octopus” – Watch out for those long arms.
Patent Pending “Iron Hand” – After losing a padded mitt, insisted his partner punch is bare hands #loco
General “Jack Rabbit” – Fast feet is an understatement
Announcements
Providence Presby Church Wall Project – March 18
Merkin/Pull-up challenge starts today
*Best Wednesday workout that has donuts
Tomorrow, we are running the REVERSE route: Rea/Candlewyck/Providence/51/Rea. All right turns. We launch from the Dunkin Donuts at Rea/Colony.
Here is the route: https://www.strava.com/routes/7470827
Launch times and paces:
510: 930-9:45 pace
515: 815-8:30 pace
520: 730-7:45 pace
530: 645-7:00 pace
Warm UP: So this project started with the 3rd F group Sanctuary. We were reading and discussing a book called Chasing Daylight. Chasing Daylight is a call to live a life of blazing urgency. We have but one life. We are given one opportunity to pursue our dreams and fulfill our divine purpose. Every moment counts, and we must engage them with fierceness and zeal. Put an end to passive observation, paralyzed by the need for perfect opportunity, and start seizing the raw, untapped potential of your life with God.
So that is exactly what we did when we started this project in helping an elderly woman taking care of her youngest daughter and two of her grandkids. We took a step of faith, not knowing all that was entailed. The plan started out with replacing the flooring which we assumed meant a couple of floor joists and all while getting the plumbing and the electrical up to snuff. We knew there were some issues with the foundation as their drainage for their kitchen and tub was not connected under the house so it literally was flowing like a river under the house, but we didn’t know the extent. But again, take that step of Faith, we were not to be paralyzed by what we did or didn’t know.
So we started to put a plan together, Shop Dawg took care of the logistics, laid out plan of materials, meanwhile Troylete got to work doing his Gestapo fundraising and setting up a go fund me to cover what we thought was going to be a $5,000 project. Meanwhile we worked on spreading the word to the other F3 sites for help with Manpower, Materials, and Money. Within only a few days, Boom, $5K was there. We were all excited, we thought we could take it to the next level (as we typically do with F3) and see if we could raise an additional $5K to put in HVAC. Ice and Troylette back to work and Bam! $10K in about 10 days, it was incredible, with some amazing generous donors (thank you all!).
The Thang: Thursday night rolls around Troylet and I stop by Debbie’s to make sure they were ready. Storage pod was there, portable bathroom was there and a dumpster was ready to go. Great! Just then, Debbie says, can you check out Shawna’s room, her floor is bouncy. I had never been in Shawna’s room, frankly Shawna’s room was never part of the plan. Sure! Walk into Shawna’s room and it was like climbing into the blue circle of the trampoline, the edges were ok but the center had about a 4-5” BOUNCE to them. Great, there was a sheet of plywood that covered the floor off to the side, I thought, we will rip that up and just take a look, worst case we may have to put a floor joist in here as well. We’ll find out later that was another poor assessment on my part.
So the work begins, crews of people show up, F3 goes into full effect and the floors are out in no time at all, Notch, Wake up call, Triple 7 and 007 tear it a new one. Just one little problem, or maybe 5000 problems, at least that is what it was to going to take in materials to fix what we found, let alone the physical labor.
Shawna’s room- There were no floor joists attached to the sill plates in half the room. They (the two of three that were left) were sitting on cider blocks, hence the plywood hole in the floor. The rest of the rooms in the house were about the same. The foundation was crumbling and the sill plates that we were planning on attaching new floor joists were all rotted out from water and termite damage. You literally could pull them apart with your fingers.
The Real Thang: Not ONE complaint, not one whine, just work. Everyone knew the storm we just got ourselves into and there was no turning back. Shop went immediately into his architecture days with Network and devised a plan to pour new footers and use 4×6 beams to headers to support the house while we rip all the rotten sill plates out so we have something to attach floor joists too. Troylette gets the list and he does his thang, gets the deal, gets the order and gets keeps the job moving.
Day 2- Lumber arrives so we can start replacing Sill plates and floor Joists. Bunny Shows up, I didn’t know him, Shop asks him, “You skilled or unskilled?” Bunny, “Skilled I guess”, Shop, “you got any tools?” Bunny, “I got that trailer over there full of tools.” Shop “Ohhhh, you’re a contractor” Bunny, “yes” Shop, “this room is yours, I’ll get YOU help.” Off he was with a crew.
Network took the Kitchen and I took the dining room. F3 Bodies were flying everywhere, Hollywood, Recalculating, wake up call, Thin Mint, Brother’s I didn’t even know came out with a hammer in hand and put it to work. Saturday afternoon and the project was gaining steam again, sill plates were going in and floor Joist started going down. Meanwhile we had electricians replacing most of the wiring in the house, we were like ants crawling everywhere getting work done.
Work continued all day Saturday till 10 pm when we finally finished putting the last floor board down in Shawna’s room. Blowout had stepped in and had most of the foundation brickwork done, and it appeared that we would be back on track. Did I mention that somewhere in the process I broke the back window so that had to be replaced and we also managed to “accidently” rip out the entire window casing in Shawna’s room so we had to figure that out as well. Minor details but let’s add that to the list of projects we didn’t plan on to get done for this project.
Day 3: We had church that day but it was held at a different location, Debbie’s house. The work started early as they had for the first 2 days, 630 am. Time to finish the dining room and the kitchen, get the rest of the floor boards in and get a floor down. Dasher, Bottlecap and The Professor went to work. Dirty Bird, Jingles, and I think recalculating took on the mission of reinstalling the window. Things were coming together also decided to add two more widows to replace, heck, we came this far.
Day 4: Plumbing crew comes in, Boda Plumbing, if you ever need any plumbing work check to see if these guys can do it first! They donated all the labor and materials for this job for FREE!! Plumbing is going in, electrical is done, drywall is going up on the walls and work is happening. So, somewhere around 6 or 7 at night the main crew started waning, Shop, Network, Troylette, myself, you could just tell, we were all gassed, it was like that section in the Freed to Lead book, the 50-75% completed, the 3rd lap of a 1-mile race, we were cooked. Again, no one complained, although you could see it on our faces we all kept moving praying we could finish this project. 10 PM we had the subfloor done, final flooring and trim was all that was left, third lap completed.
Day 5: This is when I was really grateful Dasher company shut down their sales force. I am praying he gets an even more awesome job now, but as my race partner and friend I was glad he was by my side. He showed up every day and we killed it! Tolkien, Dasher and Shop cranked out the drywall and final floors day begun, rack um and stack up. Flooring was a bit of contention so we changed directions and went with a Pergo floor, it was the best solution for the situation as laminate would not have worked during construction. Grinding out floors till 10 that night I decided I didn’t like Ice 9’s hand so in best fashion I slammed a piece of flooring that ends up cutting his hand open. Made him really happy to work with me;) Floors are in, Shop finishes up the bathroom and Boda comes back to hook of the sinks and toilet. Much accomplished!
Day 6: Network and his crew work on trim while the rest of us were finishing up details. The inspector comes and hits us with the last couple details, after reaching out to Marpool Electric we got them to come back and hook up the electrical for the hot water heater. Doc Mcstuffins and EE come back later that night to bring in the beds and rugs and Debbie and the kids have a place to sleep other than the hotel they have been stuck in for the last five days.
Day 7 and 8: Wrap up days, finishing trim, siding, etc. Saturday ended up being a great day to bring in the 2.0’s to help clean up the site, and number of ladies helped Debbie organize and we wrapped up the project at noon on Saturday.
Moleskin: This by far was the toughest project that I have ever been part of. For many of us it was more difficult than the toughest races we have ever done. It was also the most faith building. God provided the necessary people, the necessary funds and the necessary Attitude to get the Job done. At the end of the day its just a house, but it’s a house that we helped restore and make livable for 2 young grandkids. They were living in a house that literally was going to collapse in a very short amount of time. Now they can live in a house that is safe. Men stepped up, men lived out their words. The words we pray about every morning after we work out, we pray that God will allow us to be better husbands, Fathers and community members. This past week we did exactly that!
Final Moleskin: Below is a note from one of our brothers that I felt encapsulated the attitude and leadership that F3 is about. I asked him to share his company info so I could put it in this back blast and this is his response:
Hey guys. Thanks for reaching out. Hope all is going well with the house. Thoroughly enjoyed working along side of you guys last weekend and getting to know some new guys and being able to give back. The opportunities are all around, just do not always present themselves. Grateful this one came about and that we were able to show up for them. As for company name, glad you guys forgot it. Not about individuals or companies. I was just another guy that day, along side of all of you guys. Everyone deserves the credit, as many guys gave up time with their families in their busy lives. The company I was along side of is the company that matters. Thank you guys for organizing it, and please be sure to let me know of the next opportunity.
Special Thanks to these Non- F3 companies that showed their support:
Boda Plumbing http://bodaplumbing.com/
Cedar Hill Network http://www.cedarhillnetwork.com/
www.facebook.com/cedarhillnetwork (980) 239-7879
Marpool Electric http://marpolelectric.com/contact/
Hickory Tavern http://thehickorytavern.com/home/hickory_tavern-home.php
After appropriate disclaimer and a Hairband mile through the dark parking lot, we stopped for COP.
The Thang:
SSH X 25
IW X 20
Merkins X 10
Mountain climbers X 10
Mosey over to Chestnut Park and partner up for a good ol’ fashioned Dora 123 (100 merkins, 200 squats and 300 LBCs) as a team. While partner 1 does the called exercise, partner 2 runs to Carolina Courts building and back. Mosy over to the road for a Lap of Pain around Chestnut Park AO. Right karaoke to the midpoint of the south leg; stop for 5 burpees OYO. Plank for 6. Left karaoke to end of south leg and stop for 10 CCD OYO. Plank for 6. Run backward for 1/2 of east leg, stop for 20 flutters OYO. Plank as needed. Sprint to end of east leg, stop for 20 dolly’s OYO and plank. Indian run west leg. Upon returning to parking lot bear crawl for 1/2 of distance to park entrance. Crab-walk 2nd half. 2 rounds in the people’s chair with 50 and 125 air presses, respectively. Mosy back to parking lot for Mary:
American Hammer X 25
Freddie Mercury’s X 20
Moleskin: Great to continue to see strong Thrive participation and to have Shake and Bake back for his 2nd post. 13 PAX today which is double where Thrive used to be. The chatter monkeys were in form today which is par for the course for Thrive (or any AO where Glass Joe happens to be). Good times, hard work and sweat make for a good combination. Now if the Town of Indian Trail would turn the lights on again that would be helpful. On second thought, given the looks of a large percentage of the PAX, perhaps darkness is better. Appreciate the opportunity to lead!
28 PAX (though check the list, missing 1) read the PreBlast and posted at the weekly running interval workout known as Swift. This week, we were back on a Merry-go-Round, but a much boxier one, as our quest for quiet streets in the Ballantyne area found the area known as the Brixham Green.
The THANG:
http://f3nation.com/2017/02/27/preblast-brixham-green-400s/
The Moleskin:
Announcements:
We took a less common route on today’s Bagpipe adventure to learn, just who is John J. Delaney. (Answer below.)
After Tuck and I finished a peppy and quite artistic 5K (see Strava), 17 strong left the Vine and set-up for warm-up in the BBT lot.
Side straddle hops x 20
Imperial Walkers x 15
Mountain climbers x 10
Low, slow squats x 10
Peter Parkers x 10
Arm circles x 10
Mountain climber right arm high x 10
Mountain climber left arm high x 10
Fun Activity #1
After a duo of perilous street crossings a triple nickel on the steep, grassy hill on the east side of Ballantyne Commons with five squats at the top and five Carolina Dry Docks at the bottom.
Fun Activity #2
From there we slipped into John J. Delaney Dr. and huddled at the fountain. Once gathered, PAX were assigned 20 LBCs at the curb, 20 merkins at the next curb approx 30 yards aways. Continue with 20 LBCs, but reduce the number of merkins by 1 after each cycle ending at 20 LBC and 10 merkins. (200 LBC & 165 merkins). Needless to say, there wasn’t much mumblechatter during this suckfest.
Fun Activity #3
We crossed Johnston Rd and picked up Ballantyne Village Way to the Ballantyne Village deck. We ascended with a ladder of burpees, 5, 10, 15 and 20 at the top. We took the stairs to the street level and rushed home.
Fun Facts:
– Despite the pre-run Tuck led most of the way.
– Bucky asked why it’s called the triple nickel. That’s the price paid to a Catawba Native American for the land.
– Morning After is posts religiously and never complains. Props!
– Nard Dog, slept in and missed Swift.
– Meatloaf, glad to have met you today!
– Frehley farted.
– Paper Jam semi-cussed during prayer. It was awesome.
– Shrink Wrap was here for two workouts back-to-back. Keep coming! #Foxhole
– Tagalong swung iron and pushed it today, too! #Foxhole
– When is Cable Guy’s birthday? He’s been 49 for a while. #BirthdayQcoming!
– If y’all post FatCamp/Fight Club tomorrow, what out for Marlin’s haymaker! #fistbomb
– Loogie asked me how much running we’d be doing. I promised the normal amount. #2.5mi
– Wingman is back in the game. Glad to have you in the gloom. We are grateful for ALL the work you do behind the scenes.
Answer – John J. Delaney was a Congressman from New York.